Despite being one of Hollywood's most respected and versatile
actresses, Blanchett has been nominated for an Oscar only once
before - in 1999 for her international breakout performance in the
period piece, Elizabeth, in which shepulled off another
stunning transformation, that time as Queen Elizabeth I.

Blanchett was the favourite for the Oscar in 1999, but
Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love was the shock
winner.

Veteran actor Morgan Freeman has won the best supporting
actor Oscar for his portrayal of former boxer Eddie
"Scrap-Iron" Dupris in Clint Eastwood's boxing drama Million
Dollar Baby.

The win gave Freeman his first Oscar, after having been
nominated for his roles in the 1987 film Street Smart, in
1989's Driving Miss Daisy and in 1994's The Shawshank
Redemption.

The other nominees were Alan Alda for The Aviator, Thomas
Haden Church for Sideways, Jamie Foxx for Collateral,
and Clive Owen for Closer.

The Incredibles, about a family of superheroes who come
out of retirement to save the world, won the Oscar for best
animated feature film.
The animation hit beat stiff competition from Shrek 2,
which actually won the box office battle of 2004, amassing $US919
million ($1.17 billion) globally compared with $US625 million
($795.06 million) for The Incredibles.